


Thief Sleeps in my Bed

by I_Write_Tragedies_Not_Sins



Series: The Way of Thedas one shots [7]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types
Genre: AU, F/F, OC
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-03
Updated: 2016-01-13
Packaged: 2018-03-21 01:19:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3672099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/I_Write_Tragedies_Not_Sins/pseuds/I_Write_Tragedies_Not_Sins
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Her tongue tells tales of rebellion"</p><p>After the stuffed shirt noble Lady Emmald dies, Sera searches the backalleys of Ferelden for fun  and a purpose. What she finds is Jenny, a human with a lot of Friends and a reckless streak that drives Sera insane.</p><p>AU telling of how Sera joins the Friends of Red Jenny and who, exactly, "Red" Jenny is. Stand-alone. Chapter Two is just art**, though one day I may add some extra chapters with some bonus "missions" between our merry bunch.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Since it's told in snippets, the bulk of it happens prior to "What Has Been Wrought" and during "A Smuggler's Chant" with the final snippet happening just a few months after that, during "A Trial of Faith". Works as a complete stand alone tale, however. Jenny and the gang have cameos in "What Has Been Wrought" and "A Smugglers Chant"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The timeline for this is not clear, I am sorry. It starts before the Blight, and ends after the Blight is over.
> 
> For more City elf adventures, since chapter two is just art of Red Jenny, check out these tales:
> 
> A Smuggler's Chant, which tells the tale of Maroth Tabris with a bit of interaction with Jenny and the gang, before she dies.  
> What Used to Be- a drabble involving Jalyn Surana and her cousin Maroth Tabris  
> What Is Lost-One-shot from Shianni's pov of the end events of A Smuggler's Chant, aka The Alienage Massacre.

9:28 Dragon 

 

Sunlight poured in through dirty windows, casting an elf-shaped shadow on the ground. Sera watched as people wandered about the mansion, eyeing the furniture with greedy eyes. Shitebags, is what they all were. Greedy pissant shitebags. They didn't care that Lady Emmald was dead, they just wanted her junk.

Not that Sera cared much either. Prideful bitch, she was alright. And now that she was dead, Sera was free to leave. She could go wherever she wanted. She just had to figure out where that somewhere was. She brushed her long bangs out of her eyes and grabbed her bow, arrows, and a small pack of clothes. She left the rest, stupid reminders of stupid people.

She walked down the back alleyways of Denerim, eyes darting quickly across the crumbling buildings and broken people. Elves and humans alike sat, crumpled in on themselves, with their grubby hands out begging for coin. She felt angry real people had to beg while shittin' noble bastards got richer and fatter.

An arrow whizzed past her face, and a small droplet of blood dripped down her cheek. "Wazzat shite?" she yelled, nocking an arrow as she turned around.

A man with dark, greasy hair stepped out of the shadows. "Lookit this knife-eared bitch. Such a 'fine bow you 'ave, where'd you get that kind of coin, elf?"

Sera crinkled her nose in disgust. "Ugh. Knife-eared? What a bunch a shite."

The man chuckled and her stomach churned with disgust at the sound. A shadowy figure came out of nowhere and rammed the hilt of a dagger on his back. He stumbled to the ground and Sera let loose an arrow that pinned his shirt sleeve to the dirt.

"Right then, down in the dirt where ya belong. Arsebiscuit," Sera spat. She glanced up at the mysterious figure. A human girl with red hair and hazel-green eyes stood there, lip curled and staring at the man. "'Preciate it," Sera mumbled to her.

The girl spit on the ground, ignoring her. "What'die tell ya 'bout waving ya arrows around at people, Hubert?"

Hubert grimaced. "But she ain't people, Jenny! Look at dem fancy clothes!"

Sera lowered her bow and glanced down at the torn tunic and leggings she was wearing. "Fancy? Yer full of it, you are."

Hubert looked over at her and glared. "My mum was a seamstress, I know stitchin'!"

"I'll stitch you," Sera mumbled, looking away. It was true, the clothes were fancy. Sort of. They'd been bought by Lady Emmald, and she'd torn them up herself. She liked them better that way. Less stuffy and stupid.

Jenny finally looked over at the elf. "Ya got a name, elf?" she asked.

"Who wants to know?"

The red-headed woman laughed. "Name's Jenny, right. 'Ere this is Hubert. 'e's a little shite, but 'armless."

Sera giggled. "Yeah? Name's Sera, then."

Jenny smiled, and it was a crooked smile with crooked teeth, but it was cute. "Sera, yeah? You got somewhere ta be?"

Sera shook her head and her bangs fell into her eyes again. Jenny nodded and turned away. "Right then, ya should come wiv us," she said.

Sera cocked an eyebrow and planted a hand on her hip. "What? Just like that?"

Jenny glanced back over her shoulder. "Why the shite not, right?"

**~*~*~**

 

The bitter liquid burned the back of Sera's throat and she grimaced. "Andraste's ass; shite tastes like piss," she grumbled, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

Jenny laughed and the sound made weird things happen in the pit of Sera's stomach. "That's what they callsit. Dragon's piss. Don't right know what they put in it, but it burns just ta way I likes it."

Sera grimaced again and peered at the liquid in her cup. "Friggin gross is what it is."

A hand clasped her shoulder, and she looked back to see Slim's small, beady eyes shining down at her. "Put's hair on your chest, it does," he said with a smile. Slim Couldry was a half-elf and a friend of Jenny's. His orangey coloured hair fell sort of in his eyes and he almost always had a dopey grin on his face.

"Well, I don't need no friggin hair on my chest, alright?" Sera replied, pushing the mug in his direction. "What're we even doing here?" she asked, peering around the tavern at all the stuffed-shirt noble bastards.

She'd been working for Jenny for about three months now. Mostly little stuff, like stealing from noble shitebags and helping out the little people. It was good work and Sera had fun watching the looks of confusion on their faces when they realized their coin purse had been snatched.

It was easy work though, and sometimes Sera felt a bit restless. Pick-pocketing was easy. And the people were still hungry.

Jenny tsked lightly, her eyes gleaming and smirk in place. "We're here for a job, chicken, don't ya worry," Jenny replied.

Sera giggled. "Chicken, isit? You're a weird one, you."

Jenny's smirk turned into a smile. "Yeah, is that right? That all you think, chicken?"

Sera gulped and laughed awkwardly. "Maybe," she replied.

Jenny laughed and a few heads turned to stare at her, the loud sound disrupting their chatter. "Well, I guess that'll do for now," she said and took another long drink. "Ah, good stuff."

She turned a bit closer to Sera and leaned in close. Sera could smell the alcohol mixed with Jenny's own scent and she admitted to herself that she liked it.

"There's a noble over there, some git from the Bannorn. Lord somefink or another. Anyway, he beats his servants, so they figure it's about time someone beat him," Jenny whispered softly, her breath hot against Sera's ear.

Sera smiled. "So, we get to beat up some arse for brains noble? Oh, I'm in!" she exclaimed and giggled madly.

Slim nudged her shoulder. "He's leavin', you two ready?" he asked.

Jenny winked at Sera and nodded. "C'mon, chicken, you and me should go have a private drink at my place," Jenny said, voice louder than normal.

Sera caught on and grinned. She leaned in and stroked a finger down Jenny's arm and pretended to whisper something in her ear. Jenny chuckled and grabbed her hand, pulling her towards the door. Slim stayed behind, he didn't have the skill for stealth. Smart, but not quick or careful enough. But no one in Denerim got information as quick and reliable as Slim Couldry.

As soon as Sera and Jenny left the tavern, they dipped into the shadows and slowly began following their target. They waited until he entered a small side street that was empty of people. Jenny grabbed one of her small throwing daggers and tossed it smoothly at the man's leg. He cried out and fell to one knee, blood seeping out and staining the dirt.

Sera pulled out her bow and nocked an arrow as she followed Jenny. "Well, Mister Richtits finally on the ground, same as us now. How's it feel, bein' on your knees?" she asked, voice laced with more venom than Sera had expected.

She glanced over at Jenny and was surprised to see her brows pinched tightly together and her fists clenched into tiny fists. "Jenny, what izzit?"

The man glanced up, but when he spoke his voice was not Fereldan. "Jenny? Is that what you call yourself now, Ginevra?" he asked, accent thick but not one Sera recognized.

Jenny grabbed the back of his head and rammed her knee into his face; once, twice, a third time. Blood spurted out and covered his mouth and chin. "Don't call me that, I'm not  _her_  anymore!" she shouted, hands and voice shaking.

Sera kept her arrow and her eyes trained on the man but spoke to Jenny. "Whats all this? Tell me what the frig is going on!" she demanded.

The man laughed and the sounded sent chills down Sera's spine. He spat blood on the ground. "Why, Ginevra never told you, elf? She is my property but she ran away. I suppose she wants to enact some sort of misplaced revenge fantasy, foolish girl." He glanced at Jenny. "Anything that happened to you, you deserved. You are property, girl, and should learn your place in the-" he stopped mid-sentence and let out a blood-curdling scream as Sera's arrow pierced his shoulder.

"Blah, blah, blah. You talk but no one here wants to listen. Friggin Tevinter shite," Sera said, piecing together his origins from his words. No place other than Tevinter owned slaves. And that meant they were dealing with a bloody mage, Sera realized. Shite. Friggin shite.

Jenny stared down at the man. "I'm surprised ya haven't fought back, Caius. Why 'asn't the all powerful  _Altus_  use 'is power against us lowly peasants," she purred, and the way she said altus made it clear she meant it as an insult.

Caius Frontinus growled low in the back of his throat, clutching his shoulder in pain. "Fucking bitch," he spat, the words cold and harsh.

Jenny laughed and the sound echoed in the alleyway. She circled the magister like a wolf circling their prey. Sera cleared her throat. "What the shite is goin' on?"

Jenny paused and looked at Sera, blinking like she had forgotten the other girl was even present. "I paid good coin for some Tevinter magic shite that dampens 'is magic, chicken."

Sera snorted. "Not what I meant," she grumbled but Jenny wasn't listening anymore.

Her gaze was focused back on Caius and she knelt down so that their eyes met. Her fingers gripped his dark blonde hair and yanked back, bending his neck at an odd angle. He cried out in pain.

"You stole me from my home. I wasn't never meant to be in Tevinter. You hurt me, used me. Now it's my turn to hurt you," she said and her voice didn't waver this time. It was cold, and flat, and it scared Sera a little. It was a voice that sounded like it didn't belong to anyone living, a dead voice.

Jenny brought her dagger and placed it gently against his throat, the metal gleaming in the moonlight. She ran it across his skin, dripping tiny droplets onto the blade. "Remember when you used to do this to me? Steal my blood for yer precious magic shite?" She laughed again but the sound held no mirth. "I don't have magic, Caius, but I can still steal your blood."

His eyes were wide with fear and he struggled against her hold. "No! I shall give you anything you desire if you let me live, Ginevra!"

Jenny brought her lips to his ear. "My name is Jenny," she whispered and slit his throat.

He gurgled a moment, blood dripping from his throat and mouth. "I…" he stuttered before falling over.

Jenny stood up and walked over to the nearby wall. She leaned against it and her shoulders shook. Sera took a few tentative steps closer and placed a hand on her wrist. Jenny whipped around and grabbed her fiercely and pulled her close, her mouth crashing down on hers. Jenny's lips were warm against her and Sera kissed her back just with just as much passion.

Tears covered Jenny's cheeks and Sera rubbed them away with her thumbs as they kissed. Jenny made a soft noise in the back of her throat, eagerly tugging on Sera's tunic. They stumbled past the body and into the street before Sera pulled away. "What about the body?" she murmured, body trembling from Jenny's kisses.

Jenny continued pulling her towards the street that would lead them to her place. "Slim will swing by, don't worry, chicken," she replied, kissing the side of Sera's neck.

And with that Sera didn't hesitate. She lept at Jenny, kissing her again, and allowed herself to be pulled into her house, and into her bed.

 

~*~*~

 

Sera sat on the bar stool and watched Jenny dancing by firelight. They were at some tiny pub set in the back alleys, one the nobles and guards didn't know about. The mead was good, if a bit bitter, and the music and people were loud. Sera liked it. Better than the noble's tavern, full of stuffed-shirt little shites who wouldn't know fun if it bit them on the arse.

Jenny's frame swayed to the music, pounding drums and melodic lutes playing in harmony. She beckoned Sera closer, and the elven rogue smiled. She let Jenny lead her into the area where everyone was dancing, let her body be pressed tight against the other woman's as they danced. Jenny's hands roamed over Sera's skin, and Sera pressed herself closer.

"C'mon, chicken, let's go to my room," she whispered, voice low and seductive.

Sera kissed her in response and grabbed her hand. They stumbled towards the stairs, giggling and kissing as they went. Their hands roamed across each other's bodies and a few people whistled as they passed.

"Jenny! Jenny, o'er here!" Slim called out over the crowd.

Jenny pulled back and sighed while Sera glared over at Slim. "Rotten timing, pissbag," she grumbled, making Jenny chuckle.

Jenny grabbed hold of her hand and pulled her along with her towards Slim, pushing through the crowd of people. "What's all the noise fer, Slim?"

Slim shuffled awkwardly. "I heard something you'll want to hear," he said softly. His eyes kept darting towards the door and back to them, brow furrowed slightly.

Jenny's back straightened and she nodded her head curtly. She quickly led them to her room and locked the door behind them. Sera plopped down on the bed with a sigh.

Slim peaked out the curtains before pacing in a tight circle. "Someone saw you, Jenny. Some kid, he saw you out his bedroom window the day you killed that Magister."

Sera stood up suddenly. "Wait, so you knew? Wazzi the only one not knowing shite?"

Jenny pursed her lips in thought, ignoring Sera. "Then we need to keep him quiet, yeah?"

Slim stopped pacing and stared between Sera and Jenny, hesitating only a moment. "He's just a kid, Jenny. Only fourteen."

Jenny cursed. "Fuck. His family, what they like? Poor, yeah? Give 'em some coin and buy their silence."

Sera crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently. "You lot gonna answer my question or what? Seriously, this is stupid, I don't know why I ev-"

Jenny cut her off mid-sentence with a quick kiss. "Hush, chicken. I'll explain later. Can you trust me?"

Sera frowned. "Always secrets, never did anybody any good, right?"

Jenny kissed her again, this time more passionately. "C'mon, Sera love, I never led ya wrong, did I?" she purred, stroking a finger down the side of her cheek.

"Yeah, yeah, you'll tell me later, go on," Sera grumbled.

Jenny grinned and kiss the tip of Sera's ear. "That's my girl," she whispered. "Now you," she continued, turning back to Slim, "How'd you find this out, anyway?"

Slim snorted. "Because I ask the right questions, of course. Saw the kid staring at me when I was giving the scene a once over. Asked 'im if he seen my cat. That got him talkin'."

Sera raised an eyebrow. "You ain't got a cat," she pointed out.

"I do now. Kid found me a tabby, he did."

Jenny laughed and Sera watched as her eyes gleamed. "No wonder yer eyes are red, Slim. Them cats always did make ya sneeze."

Slim rubbed his nose and scowled. "Oh, shut up," he grumbled.

She laughed again and nudged Sera with her shoulder. "'ey, let's go play tonight, yeah? Earn back some of that coin that bastard cost us."

 

~*~*~

 

Jenny sat in the corner of her room, a half-empty bottle of brandy dangling from her hand. Her mind swirled with memories as she brought it to her lips. The cold liquid burned it's way past her lips and down her throat, making her stomach clench in pain as it hit, hurting. It burned away the memories and the scars, blurring the lines in her mind.

A knock sounded on the door. It echoed in her skull. Pounded, and a voice called out after it. "Jenny? One of our friends has a message for you, right," it said, and it was Sera's voice that spoke.

Jenny leaned her head against the wall and closed her eyes. The noise was too much. Everything was too much. "Shut it, will you," she whispered, and even that seemed too loud.

The knob turned and Jenny could hear footsteps tiptoeing their way towards her. "You're drunk," Sera stated.

Jenny grinned but kept her eyes closed. "Hush, chicken. You'll ruin the melancholy atmosphere I got goin on," she said, taking a shaky breath at the end.

"Talk to me?" she asked.

"What'do wanna know?" She opened her eyes and blinked up at Sera. The girl's bangs fell into her eyes and Jenny attempted a smile

Sera sat down across from her, cross-legged. "I don't know, something... anything. You never say anything, right, and you're always talkin', I just want to really hear it, is all."

Jenny laughed. "Yeah, right. I was, what sixteen? When Caius found me. Or, his 'unters did. Same thing, really. I was his pet. He 'ated his wife, you see, but he liked pretty young girls with red hair. And he was a weaker mage. What the shite mages call an Altus. Means he ain't got as much magic shite as the rest of 'em." Jenny paused and took another long swig.

The liquid burned its path down her throat and she tried not to see the images, tried not to think about the words she was speaking. She took another drink and the world seemed to spin, the floor tipping away from her. She leaned her head back again. Eyes fluttered shut. Colours swam before her eyes.

Suddenly, a hand rested on hers and pried the bottle from her fingers. "Jenny?"

"You asked me once, why I never got fully naked when we're together," Jenny whispered. She sat up and turned away from Sera. She slowly brought her tunic up, baring the mass of twisted scars. "He needed my blood to make his magic better. And the rest of me to warm his bed," she said, voice shaking.

Sera's hand reached out and she tentatively touched the scar tissue. "I'm glad we killed him," she said and leaned against her back. Her arms wrapped around Jenny's torso and held her. "Don't drink alone again, yeah?" Sera whispered.

 

~*~*~

 

9:29 Dragon

 

Slim watched as Jenny and Sera argued. Jenny was sitting down, a bloody bandage wrapped around her stomach. Sera paced in front of her, arms flailing wildly as she shouted. Slim didn't even have to hear the words to know Sera was probably pissed that Jenny had gotten hurt. Again. These days, Jenny was playing it reckless. And this time she almost hadn't recovered.

"Stupid! You're so friggin stupid! You think you're invincible or what? Shite, Jenny."

Jenny grimaced and clutched her side. "You'd yell like this at an injured woman? Some lover you are," she teased.

Sera narrowed her eyes. "Yer gonna get yerself killed! What the frig is wrong with you? Stupid, you can't be this stupid. That'd just be stupid, because then I'd be stupid for liking your stupidness." She stopped and stared at Jenny's bandaged midsection. "Stupid," she muttered

Jenny laughed and then grimaced as the muscles in her side clenched. "Shite, chicken. You're cute when you rant, but can we save this for later?" She looked up at Sera, eyes wide and pleading, lips pursed in a fake pout.

Sera sighed and crossed her arms. "Just, be more careful, yeah? Go on, rest now, dummy."

 

~*~*~

 

Sera let the liquor run down the back of throat. If she lost anymore clothes, she'd have nothing left to bet! Jenny sat across from her, her full breasts shining in the moonlight. Shadows danced across her skin, and Sera licked her lips.

"Hey, Miss I'm-in-nothing-but-my-smallclothes, pay attention to yer hand," Jenny said with a chuckle.

Sera giggled and focused her attention back on the cards. She placed two down on the table and tapped her finger twice on the ground.

Jenny squealed in delight as she placed her own cards on the ground. She tapped the floor four times and Sera hung her head. Shite. Shite, she lost. She stood up and slowly pulled her underwear down and tossed them over towards the bed, eyes locked on Jenny's the whole time.

She then carefully sat back down, trying to look seductive and feeling she ended up more on the awkward side of things. She watched through her bangs as Jenny shuffled the cards again. She pushed the bangs out of her eyes and made a soft noise of frustration.

Jenny chuckled. "You should let me cut 'em, chicken."

Sera shrugged. "You any good, then? Alright, I suppose."

Jenny set down the cards and clapped her hands. She grabbed the dagger from her belt and told Sera to close her eyes. She eyed her warily for a moment before complying and Jenny smiled. She grabbed the chunk of hair that made up Sera's bangs and quickly ran the blade across, trying not to fall in her drunken state. Her breasts pressed against Sera's face for a moment as the room spun a little. "Oh, okay. That's good. Yeah." she leaned back and turned her head at an angle, studying her handiwork. "Yeah, looks good, right?"

Sera opened her eyes and turned to glance in the mirror. Her eyes widened as she saw the uneven mess that was her bangs. "So, not any good, then," she said and giggled. "Right, good thing it's just hair, innit? Let's talk about your boobs and how they were pressed in my face a minute ago, yeah?"

Jenny burst out laughing and tackled her. "Yer nothing but a troublesome minx, you are!" she said and kissed the side of her neck. "What ever am I gonna do with you, chicken?" she said and nipped at her throat.

Sera giggled again. "Well, for starters, you can take off the rest of your clothes."

 

~*~*~

 9:31 Dragon

 

Sera fell to her knees. She hit the ground hard but she barely felt it. The world was spinning. Her heart, pounding. Tears stained her cheeks as she stared up at the sky. She let out a loud, half-broken scream and pounded her fists into her thighs. "Shite! Friggin stupid pissbag arsebucket frig shite."

Slim laid a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry," he mumbled, not sure what else to say.

Sera shrugged him off and looked down at Jenny's corpse. Her red hair mingled with the blood that had seeped from her head. Sera brushed a strand of it from her face. "Stupid. You shouldn't have gone alone, stupid, stupid!" she whispered.

Sera got to her feet and grabbed her bow. "C'mon, then. First, we kill the friggin jackhole that killed Jenny."

Slim grabbed Jenny's daggers. "And then what?"

Sera grinned but it wasn't her usual happy smile. "Then we go on, same as ever. We're just people, right? And people can't hurt forever, yeah?" At least, she hoped that was the way it worked.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just artwork
> 
> This is Jenny, as done by the very talented:
> 
> http://blood-unbound.deviantart.com/
> 
> http://brokenmirrorsneverlie.tumblr.com/


End file.
